Teams play with scoreless before Broncos win on penalty kicks

RANCHO BERNARDO -- Goalie Jake Fenlason gave his defense the
credit for holding the San Pasqual High boys soccer team scoreless
during 80 minutes of regulation play and 15 minutes of overtime.
The penalty-kick shootout, Fenlason told his Rancho Bernardo
teammates, was his time.

Well, Fenlason made one save in PKs, witnessed another shot
crack off the goal post and his teammates put four in as the
second-seeded Broncos, after playing to a 0-0 tie through overtime,
advanced to the CIF San Diego Section Division I championship match
by winning the penalty-kick phase 4-2.

Rancho Bernardo will meet Palomar League rival Torrey Pines, a
5-3 victor over Poway, in the finals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Westview
High.

"I usually come through with my promises," Fenlason said.

Alex Brunsell, Reed McKenna, Brian Brennan and Dallin Cutler
also came through for Rancho Bernardo (15-5-2) by converting their
PKs for the victory in the shootout at Rancho Bernardo High.

"It's tough to lose on PKs," San Pasqual coach John Burson said.
"There's no two ways about it. But they're a very deserving team
and they'll do well in the final, I'm sure."

It was a well-played game between the two teams who met for the
Division I title last year. San Pasqual prevailed in that one
1-0.

In the shootout, the Golden Eagles (19-3-3) went first and Wake
Forest-bound defender Andrew Malkiewicz hit the goal post, to give
Rancho Bernardo an early leg up. San Pasqual left-back Dustin
Scibilia, who came out of the match in overtime with a leg injury,
returned to the field to score in Round 2. But Fenlason came up
with a huge save in the third round, diving to his right to thwart
San Pasqual's junior forward Leon Prikhodovsky.

"I kind of knew he was going to go there," Fenlason said. "I
have a system -- I can't share it, though -- but I knew he was
going to go there, and dove there. And luckily he hit it soft
enough that I could get there.

"And then the one that hit off the post, I think I might have
scared him a little, diving that way. So I'll count that as a
save."

San Pasqual scored again in Round 4, leaving it up to Cutler,
the team's center-midfielder, to close things out of he netted his
shot in the fourth round, which he did.

"Walking up there, (with it) all on the line, I was nervous,"
Cutler said. "I don't even know what to say. I was just trying to
stay calm. Just doing everything I could to stay calm, and
remembering we deserve this. Trying to give our team another shot
at a CIF final."

After scoring to end the shootout, Cutler made a beeline for the
Rancho Bernardo sideline as he ripped off his sweater.

Each team seemed to take turns driving the play throughout the
game and that was reflected in the save stats. Fenlason finished
with five saves and San Pasqual's Nick Gagnon recorded six. The
best scoring chance during regulation play came when Rancho
Bernardo defender Chris Hunt slammed a shot off the crossbar in the
62nd minute.

Hunt scored a goal in Rancho Bernardo's 3-0 victory over San
Pasqual during the regular season.

In the overtime, the ever-dangerous Prikhodovsky had an
excellent opportunity for San Pasqual in the 91st minute, but
turned his left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area
into the side of the net.

"I had it covered front post," Fenlason said. "I think I would
have got there if it was a little more to the left. He's a good
player."

Fenlason gave a lot of the credit to his defense, in particular,
Martin Knoetze, for keeping the San Pasqual attack at bay.

"At the beginning of the game (Prikhodovsky) had a few
opportunities," Fenlason said. "Good thing we defended really well.
I've got to say that my defenders today really stepped up. In the
past weeks we had not been as tight as we had have been the last
two games. Got to give them credit."

Of Knoetze, Fenlason said: "He's our best defender for sure. He
just wins everything. Everything that gets into him, he just heads
it out. Gets a foot out on it. He's a special player."